Durobrivae was a Roman fortified garrison town located at Water Newton in the English county of Cambridgeshire, where Ermine Street crossed the River Nene. More generally, it was in the territory of the Corieltauvi in a region of villas and commercial potteries. The name is a Latinisation of Celtic (or more accurately Brythonic) *Durobrīwās, meaning essentially "fort (by the) bridges".
During the Iron Age Britain was divided into distinct tribal areas. The area lay between the Catuvellauni to the south and the Corieltauvi to the north, with the Iceni to the east. The origin of Durobrivae is said to have been as a vicus attached to a "pre-Flavian" fort, established about half a kilometre to the east of modern Water Newton, between the Claudian invasion of 43 AD, and the beginning of the reign of Vespasian in 69 AD. Its first historical mention is in the Antonine Itinerary of the late 2nd century. Archaeology of the Roman period shows that Durobrivae was then the production centre for a fine tableware known as Nene Valley Colour Coated Ware, from the 2nd century to the 4th. In Anglo-Saxon times, local settlement came to centre on Medeshamstede, now known as Peterborough.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
Durobrivae was a Roman fortified garrison town located at Water Newton in the English county of Cambridgeshire, where Ermine Street crossed the River Nene. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
The fort and Roman walled town of Durobrivae and its south, west and east suburbs, immediately south and east of Water Newton Village is classified as a Roman fort — a military site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Durobrivae (Water Newton) (0.7 km), Roman site in Normangate Field (1 km), Roman villa SW of Castor station (1 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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This page covers the Roman site at The fort and Roman walled town of Durobrivae and its south, west and east suburbs, immediately south and east of Water Newton Village. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this site alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:
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Research the area around The fort and Roman walled town of Durobrivae and its south, west and east suburbs, immediately south and east of Water Newton Village